INTRODUCTION

Only the person wearing the shoe knows where it pinches. A simple saying but
filled with a lot of wisdom. Indeed, unless you have gone through a certain situation,
it is very hard to understand what the situation feels like. This may perhaps the
reason why many do not understand the struggles faced by people or children who
are mentally retarded. Scientific and varied factors can led to retardation in children
which may leave them on wheelchairs for the rest of their lives. From that point
onwards they are sentenced to a life of constant dependence. They can do little on
their own and have to look to others for assistance. Simple day to day tasks like
buttoning up a shirt that they would previously do without giving a second thought
now become as difficult as scaling a mountain. Some even need help bathing and
using the restroom. This is bound to strip them of their dignity and leave them
feeling helpless and a burden.
Mentally retarded people have a very special unique needs which must be catered
for in order to ensure that they live their lives similarly to normal people as possible.
Their disability limits them to what tasks they can accomplish. Not only are they
unable to do thigs for themselves, often times they are unable to express
themselves clearly to state what they want to be done, and this leaves these
individuals frustrated and most of them get depressed and throw tantrums often.
Catering for mentally retarded members of the society has proven to be a major
challenge in itself and most people have more often than not found in demanding
resource wise. All around the world these people continue to marginalize in
developed as well as in developing countries. People seem to have lost sight of the
fact that all human life is important and that special need require special care and
not neglect.
Some individuals in the private sector have also felt the plight of the disabled and
have offered to help by setting up homes and schools to cater for these children,
despite their good intentions, these are still not adequate and may lack the proper
facilities to adequately care for the need of the children.
This paper will address the state of one of the homes that has been set up. It
outlines some of the everyday design problems that are encountered and how these
can be countered and effectively solved.
Adolescence, defined in books, as the transition period that links childhood and
adulthood (Davis et al 2004). Erikson described it as a moratorium, a temporal and
psychological gap between the security of childhood and the autonomy of
adulthood (Santrock, 2010). Adolescents are prone to peer pressure that can great
influence or impact their attitudes, values, and behaviors.
According to Mendoza (2009), peer group is a contributory factor to an adolescent.
This gives strong motivation for gaining social learning. He starts to associate with
people. This social relationship with his group forms strong bonding among them.
This peer group influences his behavior and decision. And the fact that adolescents
are prone to social pressure and conflicting demands, the administration of First

Asia Institute of Technology and Humanities (FAITH) formed the mentoring program
that is in connection to the mission and vision of the institution. The Institute
launched the mentoring program to provide the students with guidance as they face
the challenges of college life. Initially it was for Education students then the
program has been expanded to include all courses. Faculty members act as mentors
to each student to check his or her academic performance, to help resolve concerns
and generally oversee the development of the student as an individual and a true
professional. (http://www.firstasia.edu.ph/campussdp.asp).
Mentoring is defined, an off-line help by an individual to another person in making
significant transitions in work, knowledge or thinking. This mentoring programs aims
to help the freshmen overcome the adversities that college life adjustment brings
(Arao & Panganiban, 2006).
Residential care historically may be considered as one of the first efforts to find a
satisfactory solution for the manifold problem mental retardation causes to the
person inflicted, to their families and tot the society. In the last decades in many
countries overall-programs of help have been developed. These community-services
aim to their utmost possibility to integrate the mentally handicapped into todays
society. (Mutters 2010). For number of mentally handicapped, however, residential
care, at least for shorter or no longer periods, will always be necessary and
desirable.